It bears repeating–a significant problem D.C.–not official Wor-Shing-Tun, but D.C.–faces when it comes to stopping crime is the subjects of the mainland colony don’t have control over our justice system (boldface mine):

Charging documents released Monday chronicle the brutal killing of Bautista, a woman from Harrisonburg, Va., in an attack Friday evening off New York Avenue in Northeast Washington. Court records also shed light on the criminal history of the man accused of killing her: He had been released from jail after pleading guilty to attempted robbery in D.C. while awaiting trial on a separate larceny charge in Prince George’s County. In recent months, he had missed court dates in both places, and court records show authorities had sought warrants for his arrest…

The fatal stabbing came less than a week after a 26-year-old Senate staffer was stabbed and critically injured after leaving a restaurant on H Street NE in what authorities believe to be a random attack. The man accused in his attack had been released from prison a day earlier — sparking cries, including by the victim’s friend who intervened in the attack, to boost punishment in the District.

Congress has been focused on crime in D.C., with the House and the Senate joining forces to reject a local rewrite of the District’s criminal code, in part over concerns that it would have lowered the statutory maximum penalty for certain crimes, such as carjacking. Supporters of the revised code say the move was an inappropriate intrusion on D.C.’s governance of itself and have noted that federal authorities, including the U.S. attorney’s office in the District, play a major role in shaping whether those charged remain in jail while their cases are pending, as well as what sentences those convicted ultimately get.

I realize it’s par for the course in the U.S., year 2023 of Our Gritty, to blame people who have no power for their problems, but there is nothing the residents of D.C. can do to remove federal prosecutors and judges who do a shitty job. We can’t vote them (or their boss) out, nor can we impeach them, so we’re stuck with whatever the current president and Senate decide to do to us.